Liar
by Neru-kun
Summary: Two years after the return of Nougami Neuro, the demon and his top slug pick up where they left off after the Battle of Sicks. There's a new wave of mysteries and the bodies start piling up in puzzling ways-pun intended. NeuroxYako
1. Chapter One: Puzzle

Disclaimer: Nope

Katsuragi Yako tries to avoid the stares of the people passing by her on the street. They can't be blamed, the sight of Nougami Neuro and her is pretty outrageous. He has a tight grip on her head and is dragging her, as she struggles to follow after him.

Yako manages to pull away. "I can walk on my own just fine, Neuro!"

Neuro turns to look at her, a smile on his face. The smile is sadistic and Yako knows very well what it means. He calmly pulls out a ball of fur.

"what's that?" Yako asks intimidated.

Neuro with a blank smile puts the ball of fur onto the pavement, and it comes alive with sharp drooling fangs protruding from it mysteriously deep mouth. Once it eyed her ankles Yako knew to run. Reminding herself to thank her instincts later as she ran into the direction of a growing mystery.

Once arriving at the college, the little ankle biter curls up and falls asleep. Neuro picks it up and puts it back to wherever it came from, then looks down at the winded Yako with a huge satisfied grin. "Yes indeed you are capable."

Yako knew she shouldn't be surprised by his sadistic nature after all the years of knowing and experiencing it first hand, but it still amazed her the lengths he would go to satisfy such sadism.

"It's here, Slug!" Neuro says excited to move on.

Entering the school, they see it's swarming with police. Yako walks over to the police she recognizes and works with often, and asks them about what they've learned of the situation. Meanwhile, Neuro makes his own observations. He looks at the surrounding humans being held back by the yellow caution tape; their faces full of sentimental expressions, coated with tears and quivering lips. He quickly becomes bored with such a scene, and turns to look elsewhere, but his nose is assaulted by a horrible smell—the smell of death. The scent leads him to a room with flashing lights and more grim faces. A murder apparently. Judging from the smell. It must have taken place last night.

A group of police officers leave a man leaning against a wall the farthest from the room with the body. He refuses to look anywhere near the room. He must be the one who found the body. Neuro heads into the room with the corpse.

The scene is gruesome. Some odd machine is placed in one of the toilets in the men's bathroom, and stuck to this machine—or more accurately, struck through—is the body. Neuro narrows his eyes taking in the scene trying to process it's mysteries. Yako approaches the man leaning against the wall. "Imada-san, I'm Katsuragi Yako, may I ask you some questions?" The man tries to smile politely at her as he nods and straightens himself, but his frightened exterior betrays the kind gesture. Yako tries giving him a smile that might comfort him. The man sighs heavily and runs his fingers through his black hair. "You know, I've always wanted to meet you, ever since you were still the "high school detective", but I always hoped it would never be like… THIS!" He says quickly, glancing at the room of the murder then looking back at Yako. His eyes were dark and glossy, and his face looked tired. He's clearly taking the day's event very hard.

"I'm sorry," she says simply to him, but truly means it. He nods his head slightly, never taking his eyes from hers. Bringing the situation back on topic, Yako goes on to start asking questions. "Imada Takumi, you found the body of your student, Minami Kameyo, this morning in the men's bathroom,. Correct?"

"Yes, I found her there, but I'm not her teacher." He calmly answers.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Then do you know who is?"

"Well, I don't know everyone yet, but I think Tanaka-san taught her, he often spoke about how bright she is… uh, was."

Yako writes down the name while asking.

"You're new here?" She asks.

"Yeah. My first year teaching, got lucky getting this job…. So I thought." He answers shyly running his fingers through his hair once again.

She trys to ignore the gloomy topic threatening to take over again, So she continues questioning. "Do you know of anyone else?" Yako already knew of the others, had already gotten their statements. This sort of question was repetitive but necessary, to get the best facts.

"I'm on better terms with the students, actually. But I do go drinking with Yoshida-san, he told me last night how Minami-san walked out in the middle of his lesson earlier that afternoon."

Yako has what she needs and begins saying her thanks when suddenly a loud, pained scream rushes through the room.

"Kameyo-chan!"

This must be the victim's best friend the police couldn't get a hold of earlier. Yako bows politely at Imada Takumi and excuses herself to help the others calm the hysterical young woman down

After a long several minutes, the girl is calm once again and Yako is slowly talking to her about the victim. "She left class early to meet you, to see a movie? And after the movie she went straight home."

The sniffling woman takes a moment before answering. "Yeah, she didn't like going out much. She preferred staying home, so she would always return as fast as she could." The girl again starts to cry. "I should have walked her home… It's all my fault!"

Everyone in the area looked at her instantly. Not the best thing to say at a crime scene.

Yako shakes her head to defuse the police officers who look like they're about to spring on the poor girl. She pats the woman on the shoulder. "It's not your fault," she says, turning around to look into the men's bathroom with a look of detest.

Though at this point, anything is possible.

It was late when they finally took the body away and there was no evidence to close the case. Such an awful thing going unsolved for even one day is a horrible feeling of failure and tends to consume your mind with taunting roundabout thoughts of "what if."

Yako looks to Neuro who is standing next to her. He may not feel exactly what she feels, but from the look on his face it's pretty clear he gets the gist of walking back to their office, Yako is unnerved by the silently fuming demon and tries offering him words of comfort, hoping he doesn't take it as an act of pity.

"It won't be long and you'll soon be able to eat." She thought that sounded helpful enough.

"I didn't go hungry." Neuro says in a concentrated tone

Yako is confused. The crime isn't solved; there was no mystery to eat. "Then how?" She asks.

Mostly talking to himself, he says only a little of what's actually going on in his head."The murder weapon itself was a puzzle, an advanced one by human standards even by some demon's standards."

Minami-san couldn't solve it. Yako says frowning.

"She died because she couldn't solve the puzzle." Neuro says grinning slightly. "Apparently the human was thought of as smart, and somebody wanted to test that."

They walk silently in their own thoughts, contemplating possibilities. That is until Neuro throws Yako into a gated yard, barking growing louder. "Look Louse, this sign says: 'Beware of Dog.' Why is that?"

"Neuro! That's not funny!" Yako yells from the other side of the fence.

Neuro smiles with a goofy blank look on his face.

Please review, I would love it so very much. You could change my life. Please change a life.


	2. Chapter Two: Proposal

**Proposal**

Disclaimer: Nope.

Neuro is sitting at his desk and listening to the conversation Yako is having over the phone. Granted it's all in Spanish, but that's not a problem for him. It's a nice little trick his slave picked up while he was still in hell. Apparently there are three other languages she knows besides Japanese and Spanish. She has defiantly evolved favorably. Yako is now able to bring him a variety of mysteries from many different countries. He hardly ever goes hungry anymore.

Neuro casually turns from his thoughts to face Yako. She is asking him if the mystery in the phone call is worth his attention. It's not. He could easily find one just like it around here; it's not worth going to another country for only a snack.

He shakes his head no, and then proceeds listening to Yako help the other person with his problem. It was hardly anything at all.

Once she is done with the call, the slug returns to reading over the crime that occurred at the college. She's wasting her time, that mystery is still developing. Though, because he is full, Neuro turns a blind eye to her wasting such valuable time. It doesn't take long until she realizes her effort is in vain and groans irritably in defeat. With a sigh, she looks over to Neuro.

When he says nothing and just continues to grin at her, she gets annoyed and goes to retrieve a snack from the full sized refrigerator that was put in just for her. She spends most of her time at the office and the mini-fridge had not been enough.

With a content and creepy grin, Neuro throws everything on the surface of his desk at Yako. She sees it coming but is unable to dodge, the large amounts of food in her arms to blame. The force of the flying objects was enough to knock her down, along with all of her food.

"What a mess you are Yako," Neuro smiles triumphantly at her.

Yako imitates a laugh as she begins to pick up her food from the floor and put it back on her plates. She looks up to Neuro when he politely answers the ringing phone. Now that he was busy, she felt safer to let her guard down and sat down to eat her meal. Neuro doesn't torture her as much when he's not hungry, which makes her life easier.

Neuro finishes his phone call just as she finishes her thought. Yako swallows her bite of food and turns to him. "What was that about?" She asks him innocently.

"Mind your own business and continue stuffing your fat pig face." Neuro says while pulling a rope out as a threat.

Yako cautiously turns around. "Okay, okay."

With a chuckle, Neuro sits in his seat and begins searching things on the internet. Yako feels uneasy within the silent room, with only his creepy typing, so she turns on the TV. Neuro looks up from his internet search to see what Yako has focused her attention on. The screen shows a woman in white and a man in black. While still looking to the screen, he feels her eyes on him.

"What do you want, slave?" He asks, meeting her stare.

She smiles at him. "You should marry me Neuro."

The change on his face is instant; a face full of boredom to a look of obvious pretend pity.

Yako asks through laughter., "Why not?"

Neuro, now more serious, questions her. "Louse, you are being serious?"

Yako rests her face on her hand as she observes him closely. "Am I?"

Her arrogant smile never leaves her face, even as he grips it in one of his hands.

He inches closer to her, until his lips are close to her ear, and whispers menacingly. "You test something that doesn't exist." Yako keeps her smile despite being intimidated and moves to whisper in his ear, too.

"There is always room to evolve."

Neuro can feel her smile grow against his ear as she whispers the world "evolve." Such confidence she has! She really is an interesting human, to even dare challenge someone as great as himself.

Just as he meets her eyes, the phone rings again and her eyes turn from his to look toward the phone. Growing impatient with the turn of events, he tosses Yako to the other side of the room and is pleased with the sound of her whimper as she hits the wall, then the floor. He then goes on to quickly answer the phone. There's been another murder at the college.

Neuro looks over to Yako, who is calmly leaning against the dented wall, waiting for answers. Neuro hangs up and, with an inhuman grin, begins to drool.

"The puzzle grows."

Please review and I'll love you with all my heart guts.


	3. Chapter Three: Alphabet

**Alphabet**

Disclaimer: Nope.

At the college, the scene is hectic, everyone working on their own tasks. This time, though, everyone is more frustrated and everything direr. Last time, everyone was grim and disappointed. Looking at the newest victim easily explained the change.

Nakasawa Hisao, once the best English student this school had to offer. All that's left of him now is a mangled body left in a heap on the floor of the library. His wrist roped to an odd machine displaying English flash cards, his fingers and toes hooked to each individual letter of the English alphabet; his forehead, nose, tongue, chin and cheeks pressed to the rest of the letters. He had all 26 letters of the alphabet to spell out the answer to whatever the flashcards asked. Failure wasn't an option. Every finger and toe broken in grotesque angles, and the death was caused by a broken neck—being that his head was turned completely around.

Yako leaves Neuro to the puzzle that is the murder weapon. She leaves to start her questioning, but just like last time, the questioning leads to nowhere and points to no one.

Yako stands next to the teacher who found the body of Nakasawa Hisao. As the body is taken out in the body bag, Inoue Masa starts to sob at the sight of it. The sobs are heart-wrenching and throw Yako off briefly. She looks at the woman and sees clearly the heartbreak on her face.

"You loved him, Inoue-san?" Yako asks quietly.

Fresh tears fall but her face is stern and dignified as she answers. "I will always love him."

With more questioning on the topc, Yako discovers Nakasawa Hisao and her use to secretly date, but he fell in love with Minami Kameyo. Inoue Masa spoke of her bitter anger towards Nakasawa Hisao and admitted hatred for Minami Kameyo. Yako recognizes the murderer's attempt at framing the woman. Inoue Masa, in a secret relationship with the victim of today; and Nakasawa Hisao, who left her for the first victim, Minami Kameyo.

"I'll have to give your statement to the police," Yako says, turning to the woman. She didn't expect the intense smack to the face, followed by the woman's angered words: "I did not kill them!"

The woman attempts to strike Yako again, but is restrained by fast-acting police. The woman is arrested and is now a main suspect. Neuro is instantly by her side. "My, my, Yako. Did you accuse the woman of murder?" He looks at her red cheek and chuckles mockingly at her. Yako rolls her eyes at him.

"No, she just realized her situation and became defensive. I said nothing of an accusation against her." Yako finished her statement with venom and walks past Neuro to leave.

"Katsuragi-san." Imada Takumi hesitantly calls to Yako.

She recognized the man as the young teacher who found the first body. "Imada-san, what is it? Are you alright?"

He approaches her and hands her a bag of ice. "The question is: are you alright?" He gestures to her cheek.

Yako smiles and shyly touches her cheek. "Oh, I'm alright. Thank you, Imada-san."

He smiles back triumphantly. "I'm glad, you really should be careful. You don't want to ruin that pretty face of yours." Yako is surprised by the blunt comment and can't quite hide her blush.

"Thank you, but it's hardly an issue," she says, forcing composure.

Imada Takumi then hastily reaches into his pocket, pulls out a card and goes to hand it to Yako. "This is my number. Call me if you need me."

Neuro, seemingly coming out of nowhere, snatches the card from Imada's fingers. "Thank you Takumi-kun. Sensei will be sure to call if you were to ever be useful!" It was meant to sound like Neuro's usual pleasantry, but it might as well have been a hiss.

The two men lock eyes in an unflinching gaze. Yako has to interrupt the two. "Thank you, uh… Takumi-san, we'll leave now." Takumi hesitantly removes his eyes and smiles at Yako. Then, with a curt bow, says goodnight and leaves for home. All the while Neuro's eyes never leave Takumi.

When Takumi is no longer in sight, Neuro turns and starts walking towards the office. "I don't like that man."

Yako looks at his unchanging expression and looks back to the path ahead of her, smiling to herself. "You jealous, Neuro?"

Neuro remains silent then after a few minutes finally says, "So we're back to me evolving, Louse?" Yako, feeling brave, asks "Are we?" Then she looks to the ground and laughs. Neuro trips her and continues walking, mumbling aloud. "You irritate me, slave."

Please review, I'm forever thankful to those who do, they inspire me to write more!


	4. Chapter Four: Message

**Message**

Disclaimer: Nope.

Yako watches Neuro pace the room. She recognizes this as hunger and his patience slipping. He stops and stands with a stance that might seem gentlemanly and charming to others who didn't know him any better. Yako knows better, though. She recognizes that he's only seconds away from doing something sadistic to vent his frustrations.

Yako hastily tries to recover the situation "What's wrong, Neuro?"

Neuro turns his sadistic eyes to Yako. He watches her tense up as his reply doesn't come. This pleases him and calms him at the same time. He walks to Yako and stops her retreat by grasping her neck; her eyes aware of his every move is gratifying. Good to know she still recognizes her master.

He lowers his mouth to her temple and talks with his mouth pressed above her ear. "I'm hungry and you won't feed me." He then tosses her to the floor before sauntering back to his desk.

Yako rights herself and plops down on the office sofa with an aggravated huff. "A criminal will eventually return to the scene of the crime, and being it might be an inside job, it's even more likely," Yako says in a bored tone. Neuro puts his feet up on the desk, reclines in his chair and folds his arms across his chest.

"Continue," He says with a proud grin.

Yako smiles back at him with a knowing smirk. "Leave a message and they'll be sure to get back to you."

Neuro suddenly bursts into boisterous maniacal laughter. "Excellent! I've done exactly so! I let them know I am the one to challenge."

Yako stands and reaches for her things, calling it a day and is overly ready to call it in for the night. She meets eyes with Neuro and points to the door with her thumb. "I'm gonna go now, 'kay? Let me know when the message comes."

Neuro looks to Yako's slightly swollen cheek.

"Neuro, did you hear me?" She questions.

"I hit you much harder, did it really hurt more than mine?" Neuro asks, then locks eyes with Yako once again. Yako wasn't expecting the question.

"No, it was just more of a surprise than anything," she answered.

"So, you really didn't even need Takumi-san's comfort. Or did you want it?" Neuro says with a hint of humor.

Yako leans on the door. "No, I didn't. So don't be jealous." Neuro flinches.

"I wanted your comfort," Yako says with a smile.

"Would you like a matching cheek Yako?"Neuro offers sarcastically.

"Nope. I'm good, thank you. I'll see you tomorrow." Yako says while opening the door to leave.

"Be careful on your way home, Yako. If my suspicion is correct, you might be a target now, due to my challenge message." Neuro says.

"There isn't anything out there to worry about, compared to the worry that comes with you." Yako says, and then disappeared behind the closed door.

"I'll never be a serious issue." Neuro says into the silence as he watched Yako from the office window.

Then the envelope slid under the office door.

Please review and I'll love you with all my heart guts!


	5. Chapter Five: Blood

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Comments to reviewers at the end. ^-^

Neuro Opens the letter, and narrows his eyes as he reads the message. "Yours, and hers...will be mine."

Cryptic bastard.

This person is playing mind games with him. Neuro's message to the murderer had been a direct challenge; he had hoped it would be enough to rattle them and possibly force them to crack a little. Now they were playing games with _him_ and not only that, but "hers" could only mean Yako. Question is: _what_ will be theirs?

Yako...had she made it home? Neuro reached for his phone to call her. The phone began to ring.

Riiing...

Riiing...

Riiing...

Riiing...

"Hello? Sorry I didn't hear it ringing over my um...crunching. Then I felt nervous like when you are about to choke me. So what's up? You got the letter?" She was safe and happily stuffing her fat face.

"Yes, I received the letter nearly right after you left. Meaning you most likely passed our murderer with your useless blind eyes." He could hear Yako scoff at his insult.

"I saw nobody, I was being cautious because of your warning." What a good slave.

"The message said 'yours and hers will be mine'."

She was silent for a moment while she thought of something to say; must be difficult for her. Neuro smiles to himself.

"Do you think that means we are the main targets now?" She asks.

"We are a game to this person. I am not sure." Nothing else was said and before Yako could finish telling him goodnight, he hung up. Yako went to bed without any trouble or delay. All she could remember was laying down then waking up to the sound of her phone ringing.

"Hello, Katsuragi Yako speaking." She answered groggilly.

"Yako-chan! Umm uh this is Imada Takumi, umm I'm not sure you heard but there's been another murder! It's awful!" He sounded frantic.

"Calm down Takumi-san, I'll be right there." Before she hung up, Neuro slipped into her bedroom from her window and silently glided to stand behind her. "Hurry Yako."

They rushed to the college, what was effortless for Neuro was a lot of effort on Yako's part, and Neuro violently began dragging her the rest of the way. Once they walk into the school it's obviously much more tense then the other times. Everyone's eyes are on the two of them; eyes reflecting many different emotions. Fear, pity, discussed and mistrusted, the list could go on and on but none of the faces any good.

Walking into the school's science room was very disturbing and the murderer had gone out of his way and clearly had fun with it: two victims this time; one male, one female; Akira Kei and Kasuga Aiko; brilliant lab partners with the best ideas. Their hands were melted together with who knows what kind of chemical, and they had to work together in sync to make the chemicals the murderer was requiring. They were successful but weren't really paying attention to what they were creating. In their hurry they successfully blew themselves up leaving very little, just their too-melted-together hands.

In the victim's blood was a message written: "I win again, Demon."

After reading the disturbing message, Yako could hear a low growl coming from the demon beside her. "Neuro...this—" He cut her off by turning to walk back into the hallway.

In the hallway were four people standing cuffed together leaning against the wall being thoroughly questioned. They are the reason for the stares. Another message. This message is only completed with the four of them linked together. Clearly legible on each of their shirts and written in the two victims' blood is a direct message: "You-Started-It-Assistant."

Neuro can't help but feel angry. This person is killing more of the humans that can be possible puzzles! Not only that, but they are using the "message" idea he prided himself in against him! Neuro leaves Yako to fight against the large crowd gathered around the four. Yako watches him leave, and manages to force herself in front of the four. Three students and one college professor.

After the questioning, Yako is highly disturbed by the perfect match ups. Each and every one of them could easily be the murderers. Adachi Taishi, the ex-boyfriend of todays victim Kasuga Aiko. He was very possessive and was eventually dumped by her. It was rumored that Kasuga Aiko and Akira Kei were not just lab partners, but in a relationship. He could have easily killed them out of jealousy, and that's not all. He also was deeply in love with victim number one as well, Kameyo Minami, who was known to be dating victim number two, Nakasawa Hisao.

Next in line, Makino Shizuka. In terms of popularity her and Kameyo Minami were always rivals. Kameyo Minami moved on from the petty rivalry, so Makino Shizuka hated everything and everybody Kameyo Minami had contact with. Third person in the row of handcuffed was Baisotei Akane. She knew of the student-teacher relationship between victim number two, Nakasawa Hisao, and Inoue Masa, and she supported her teacher; and when Nakasawa Hisao ended the relationship to be with victim number one, Kameyo Minami, she hated them both very deeply.

Lastly was the very grumpy professor, Shiga Souske. He didn't have such a dramatic connection as the other three did, but he wasn't in any better of a situation. He was known to physically assault students. He's a very violent man and it was well known he had slapped all the victims around more than a few times physically, mentally and verbally. It wasn't looking good for any of these people.

Yako had to force herself out of the crowd again to meet back up with Neuro. She found him staring off but not blankly. He was clearly trying to figure this out. Who knows? He probably already knew who it was, just not enough evidence to sentence them. Yako cautiously informed Neuro of what came of the questioning. It only seemed to aggravate him more. Neuro was already irritated by the day's events and Yako's pitying look towards him did not help. So he grabbed her by the arm to throw her when something horrifying caught his eye. Blood."Yako...what is this on you?"

Thank you for reading please continue and please review so that I will continue to write even just one review makes my day! Thank you!

Yubi- thank you for reading and'I hope you are still are enjoying.

inkquill- Thank you for reading it's my first fic ever so thank you so much for reviewing!

Mira Love- Thank you so much for reading, and I also like a mature and confident Yako, it only seems natural. I've actually have not seen the saw movies...so it's actually just the way my brain works...haha...I hope you keep reading and reviewing, I'm very grateful!

K-nee- Yeah they are very interesting, if you read the manga or even watch the anime Neuro's sadism makes a lot more sense. ^-^ I promise.

nekonotaishou- Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying this! I'm actually very proud of Yako myself haha...Even one review makes me want to write a whole chapter, so I thank you.

lunabloodmoon666- Sorry for the wait! I'm glad you are liking my plot! I'm working really hard on it so hopefully it lives up to your expectations! Please review and I'll be sure to write the next chapter right away!

Mouse-Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'll be sure to keep up the good work and you keep you on your toes. ^-^


	6. Chapter Six: Bite

Disclaimer: they're not mine.

Comments to reviewers at the end.

A heart painted in blood. The same blood used at the crime scene. The murderer was here and he had placed his mark on Yako while he was hidden within the crowd, mocking them still. Not only that, but he clearly knows Neuro's secret. "I win again, Demon" is what the murderer wanted them to know. Clearly this person is singling out Neuro.

Yako traced the bloody heart drawn on her arm with cautious fingers. "Neuro, how does he know what you are?"

Neuro's reply was surprising, and unexpected. He smiled at her…evilly. " He watches us, dedicatedly so." He then began to walk, but not in the direction of the office.

"Where are you going?" Yako asked as she walked after him. His answer was not needed; it was made very clear what he was doing. He's torturing her to vent his frustration. He led her into an area full of her favorite restaurants, knowing she has no self control when it comes to food. Then Neuro was gone.

"My poor wallet," Yako mumbled to herself. Suspecting that there was more to Neuro's abandonment.

Neuro watches Yako enter a restaurant. He is perched high in the shadows of the night, eyes glued to the dark-haired man entering the restaurant and taking a seat across from Yako. Imada Takumi. He was dressed in black slacks and a gray v-neck t-shirt with his hair slicked back, his dark eyes never leaving the blood heart on Yako's arm.

"I forgot to wash it off. I've been distracted," she said to him getting his immediate attention.

He took his seat across from her with ease. "It's not that noticeable, nothing much to worry about. It could easily be mistaken for as marker, unless you know what you're looking at." He smiled at her charmingly.

"You found it easily enough Takumi-san. You knew exactly what you were looking at." She smiled politely at him, hiding her new found suspicion.

Takumi, smirks at Yako before turning to call the waitress over and orders a cup of hot tea. The waitress then turns to Yako and readily asks to take her order. Yako only asks for a glass of water and the waitress rushes off.

" Not hungry Yako-chan?"

"Not at the moment. I have questions for you." Yako says seriously. Takumi crosses his hand on the table and looks Yako right in the eye. "All work no fun Yako-chan. Let's you and I have some fun."

Yako ignores him. "What do you think of what happened today?"

Takumi sits back in his seat and runs his fingers through his hair tiredly. "I don't want to talk about this." He leans slightly over the table and pushes some hair from Yako's face. "I want to talk about you."

"Fine, follow me." Yako says while heading to the exit.

"What about my tea?" Yako stops briefly and looks at him. "Where we're going you'll need something much stronger then tea."

Takumi stands up and follows Yako out the door. "Now you're talking."

Yako looks to the shadows knowing Neuro is out there somewhere. She leads Takumi into an alley where he soon begins to back her into a wall. He leans down to kiss her but stops right before meeting her lips. "Why so distracted Yako-chan?"

"Because of what's behind you." Yako says calmly.

Takumi turns around and is faced by a bird with sharp menacing fangs protruding from its scary beak. The only familiar thing about this creature is the blue suit that it wears.

"Demon," Takumi says in a whisper.

Before he can say or do anything else though, the bird demon buries his fangs deep into Takumi's shoulder and bites down hard. The moment is brief and wasn't long enough for Takumi to even whimper in pain. The demon detaches his fangs and steps away from Takumi as he sinks to the ground. Yako is startled by Neuro's show of demonic aggression, and keeps her back pressed closely to the wall, away from the bleeding man and the demon dripping with his blood.

Takumi looks up to the demon and begins to try to stand, gripping his open wound protectively, trying to keep it from bleeding. A wasted effort, as the wound was made specifically to continue bleeding for a very long time. "You will be exposed demon."

The bird demon smiles, teeth dripping with blood, and opens his arms in a welcoming gesture. The moonlight glowed, illuminating feathers of both purple and green. It was truly a glorious sight. Then he spoke, his voice majestic and commanding. "You want to expose the demon?" All the monstrous beauty suddenly melted away to the exotic face everybody has come to know as Nougami Neuro. "Then expose me." He smiled; face still wet with Takumi's blood.

Takumi stood up straight, grimacing in pain as he did, but managed to look composed. His gray shirt was ruined, stained dark with his blood, ripped at the shoulder where Neuro's teeth had shredded shirt and flesh.

"I'll be leaving now if you don't mind, as you can see I'm quite a mess," Takumi said with a sarcastic smile and topped it off with a chuckle to match. "Leave it to my brilliant mind to discover something as amazing as you, Neuro."

After saying this he looked over to Yako still standing safely against the wall. "And I can't forget about you, the one who found him first. I want you just as badly." Then Takumi sauntered out of the alley acting as if nothing happened smiling at the worried citizens asking of the bleeding.

Such an odd human. Neuro looked to Yako now standing close by, amusement in her eyes. "What?" Neuro asks humorlessly.

"Do you like drinking blood?" Yako asks, genuinely curious.

Neuro smirks mischievously. "It's disgusting. Though I think you might taste better."

Yako laughs dismissingly. "Such a flirt."

Neuro smiles down at Yako but notices her watching his mouth, and waits for her to speak.

"What was the purpose of biting him? I wasn't expecting it. I thought you'd do something to enhance or solve the mystery." Yako asks.

Neuro starts walking in the direction of the office. "I did." Neuro smiles blankly. "He lusts for blood, I gave him extra, now we just wait. This mystery is on the tip of my tongue."

Please review and I'll be sure to write the next chapter super speedy quick!

Mira Love- Thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing too as soon as I got the review I started on the this chapter. I hope you liked this chapter as well. Thank you! ^-^

Lunabloodmoon666- Thank you for reading and reviewing and it makes me very happy that you are enjoying it. I hope you like this chapter too and it's speedy update? ^-^ Yeah the blood was a way of taunting Neuro. Kinda like "Haha! I got this close to her right under your nose." Yes the hands melted together, I got the idea from potato sack racing. No matter how well you normally walk once paired with someone else like that, your own walking ability dramatically decreases. Similar concept, no?


	7. Chapter Seven: Escape

Disclaimer: Me no no own.

The call came early, so early the sun hadn't even risen yet. Yako rolled out of bed and hastily got dressed. Neuro was behind the wheel of Godai's car; Godai in the passenger seat, nursing a crushed hood ornament. Yako threw herself in the backseat and sat up and leaned against the back of Neuro's seat to talk to him. "Do you think it's Takumi-san?"

Neuro peeled off onto the road and, without looking where he was going, looked back to answer Yako. "You have doubts that it is?" Yako didn't answer, letting his sarcastic question hang in the air as he sped through every obstacle coming at them. Yako knew Takumi was guilty but couldn't say, her attention was on the oncoming traffic and the chorus of horns honking franticly.

"Dammit monster! I said to let me drive! You freaking suck!" Neuro turned to at least face the road but his eyes were glaring at Godai. "And my answer to your demand of me is lying crushed in the palm of your hand, is it not?"Neuro said before parking on the sidewalk in front of the college.

They had arrived in record time. Godai smashed his face into his dashboard, relieved they had made it in piece, more favorable his car had made it in one piece. Well minus the hood ornament. Though that didn't stop the mumbles that could be heard. Mostly mumbles that contained none to friendly insults about a certain "monster."

When they walked into the school this time, Takumi was cuffed and heavily guarded. Behind him was what looked to be a game show setup… covered in blood and lifeless bodies.

Neuro and Yako walked closer to the scene and were greeted cheerily by Takumi. "I bled too much and left evidence."

It was true. His black suit was slick and darker where the bite was. The police officer standing next to him looked disgusted. "We responded to a missing person's call early this morning and thought it wise to come here first, we found the scene then followed a trail of blood leading us to him."

Everyone looked towards Takumi, who just shrugged accepting defeat. "It is what it is," he said.

"Why did you do this?" another officer asks.

"I was… bored?" Takumi says questioning himself.

"You were bored? "Yako asks outraged.

"I wanted to test them, to see if these so called 'geniuses' were actually deserving of the title. They weren't. Not at all," Takumi sighs half-heartedly. "At first it was disappointing. I thought at least when faced with life or death their brains might work hard enough to actually succeed." He continued, fidgeting slightly in his cuffs.

"Why did you keep doing it then?" Yako asks already knowing the answer.

"I'm a teacher. It's my job to test my students." He answers with a smug chuckle as if the answer was obvious to anyone.

Neuro then takes one step toward Takumi, to which Takumi responds by holding up one free hand. "Ah, ah, ah. Not another step, demon." With his other free hand he tosses the handcuffs to the floor at Neuro's feet. Neuro watched them hit the ground and when he looked back up to Takumi, he was faced with a gun pointed at him. The police backed up all pulling out their guns, then aiming them at Takumi.

Neuro only smiles at Takumi. "Now, now, Takumi-kun. That's not your style."

Takumi fakes an upset face, pouty lip included. "You're right, it's not."

He then points the gun at Yako. "This is." Then he empties the entire clip at Yako.

The police shoot all at once, and the school echoes with gun fire and wall plaster. Once the dusts settles, everyone can see the aftermath. Takumi is gone. The police immediately run after him; Neuro still standing protectively in front of Yako, blue suit riddled with bullet holes and stained with blood.

"Neuro, are you alright?" Yako whispers to him while her hands float above bleeding wounds in worry. Neuro growls and bullets bulge from the wounds in a horrifying display and fall to the ground around him.

"I'm hungry. Yako, let's go." Neuro says, walking off as the suit heals itself and the blood evaporates.

"Aren't we going after Takumi-san?" Yako asks, catching up with the grouchy demon.

"The mystery is not yet ready." Neuro smiles evilly and begins to drool. "It's begun to grow again."

Yako slows down a bit and starts to drag behind him. "That's not necessarily a good thing, considering his method of creating more of a puzzle."

Neuro stops and turns to look at Yako's hip where a bullet managed to barely graze it. "I would have preferred him dealt with today as well, but, as he put it, it is what it is." Then he turned to walk off in the direction his odd hair was pointing him to. Yako looked at the sun that had just begun to rise.

"Today is going to be a very long day." Yako said to herself.

Lunabloodmoon666- Thank you for continuing to read and review, and I'm so glad you are enjoying. Me a writer? I wonder. ^-^

Nadia42- Arigatou gozaimasu! Please continue reading and reviewing!


	8. Chapter Eight: Breathless

Disclaimer: I don't own them, just Takumi and all the people he's killed.

Yako sat on a pristine white tile floor that seemed to go on forever, same with the white walls that towered over her. Despite being trapped, the endless room was not worrisome. Yako was content, sitting happily in her wedding dress counting the beautiful feathers that belonged to Neuro; while he sat perched on his little birdhouse watching her. Or at least she thought it was Neuro. It was hard to tell in this ever-changing dreamland, with air quality that looked a lot like distorted heat waves.

Yako turned to the tiny little bird to which she assumed was Neuro and asked him with slight worry on her face. "Did you say something, Neuro?"Silence lingered between the two and before Yako could comment on the rudeness she heard the sound again and turned abruptly in the direction she thought she heard it come from.

"Yako, you need to give me your hand." She heard Neuro say from behind her. When she turned around, Neuro certainly stood before her this time. He stood patiently with one hand outstretched and donned a face of worry.

"Worry doesn't suit you, Neuro." She said with a smile while reaching to take the hand he offered, but as she took it Neuro vanished in a flurry of white ash.

Yako hadn't any time to think about his disappearance. The floor under her abruptly decayed in the same display of white ash, and Yako found herself sinking deeper and deeper in murky dark water, with only her last intake of air held in her lungs. Fear rippled inside of her and she urgently woke up.

Reality wasn't much better, unfortunately. She is strapped to her bed around her throat by some appalling invention. She grabs at it trying to loosen it. It is constricting on her windpipe and she desperately needs some new air in her lungs. The wire is cutting into her skin and she soon realizes the more she moves, the tighter it got. She stops moving completely and calmly tries receiving air in small short breaths.

She soon knows what she has to do. It would come at great risk, but it was her only option. She needs to reach her cell phone to call Neuro. The phone was on the nightstand beside her, a distance normally not even noticed, but in this situation it might as well have been a mile away. Reaching for it would cause it to tighten some more, and then she wouldn't have much more time to live before suffocating. She outstretches her arm as long as it can go, fingers reaching the phone just barely. She taps it carefully, bringing it close enough to grab it. Once she has it, she dials his number and painfully brings it to her ear.

Riiing

Riiing

Riiing

"What?." Neuro asked coldly.

"N-Neuro…help…me." Yako chokes out through her tight bindings.

The phone disconnects and Yako fights to stay conscience. Just as her world is fading, the window opens and the binding is severed and she painfully gasps for air, choking on the burning in her lungs in the process. Yako rolls off the bed and sits on the floor leaning against the side of her bed, still trying to catch her breath. Neuro looms above her, observing the scene before him.

"How careless of you, Ya-"He cuts himself off, distracted by the bloody, bruised ring around Yako's neck. Yako looks up at him unaware of his distress.

"If you hadn't worked me to death today, I wouldn't have been so tired and I would have woken up," she says in a hardly audible rasp.

"It's not safe for you to be here by yourself, Yako," Neuro says, sending his Evil Fridays to investigate the apartment. Yako watches the little bug-like creatures scuttle across the floor.

"I hadn't realized that," she whispers sarcastically.

"Stop talking, Yako," he says crossly.

The Evil Fridays come back and crawl up Neuro's body, returning to wherever they came, having done their job. Neuro scowls, looking off into the direction of the living room. Yako shakily stands and follows him into the room to see what was wrong. Roses. Beautiful roses were placed by the front door, with a letter attached. Neuro picks it up and hands it to Yako. She opens the envelope and reads aloud.

"'Sleep tight,' signed -Imada Takumi. That's sick," Yako mutters while stabling herself against a wall.

"You'll stay at the office with me, Yako." Neuro says melting the roses in the palm of his hands with an acidic grasp. Yako knows there would be no arguing with this serious mood Neuro was in. She didn't want to sleep on the couch, but she knew it was the safest place to be. The office was filled with hidden demon traps. No unwanted guests there. Yako drags herself to her room to pack, Neuro always one step behind her.

To my wonderful guest readers- thank you for reading and reviewing You make my day with every comment, and make me want to deliver the best quality writing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. 3


	9. Chapter Nine: Never

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

It was still night time and Yako still lay awake on the office couch silently listening to Neuro's newspaper rattling. He was still searching for puzzles even after the three meals he had earlier in the day. She sat up no longer able to pretend to sleep.

"Still haven't fallen to sleep Yako?" Neuro asks not looking up from his search.

"You know I feel uneasy sleeping in the same room as you." Yako says, walking through the darkness and turning the office lights on, then walking to the mirror. She looks at her tired face then met Neuro's watchful eyes in the reflection of the mirror before turning to face her own reflection again; namely the ring around her neck.

It is silent for a moment as they both look.

"What would have happened if I had died?" She asks, making a motion with her finger swiping across her throat. "If my head was cut clean off?"

Neuro frowns looking away. "Enough."

Yako continues. "No, I'm serious. Would you find a replacement?"

Neuro returns to his puzzle search not answering.

Yako huffs. "I guess it does make sense that I'd be replaceable."

This catches Neuro's attention and he looks directly at her through the reflection in the mirror. "Wrong."

Yako turns to look at the real Neuro, but turns too fast and loses balance. She recovers by easing herself to sit on the floor. When her vision returns Neuro is by her side. Not as a helping hand or a worried friend, but more of a silent guardian. Yako walks back to the couch and lies back down. Lying on her back, she is greeted by Neuro's green eyes staring down at her from the ceiling. They lay that way for a moment in silence.

"I was reminded today that you can also break." Neuro said by way of breaking the silence.

Yako smiled up at him. "I also was reminded. It's hard to remember with you always by my side." It became silent again for a few more moments.

"Would you replace me?" Yako asks, her turn to break the silence.

"Never." He answers without hesitation.

Yako's sigh of relief did not go unnoticed. "What would you do if I did die?" She asks. Neuro closes his eyes.

"I won't allow you to die." He answers proudly.

Yako laughs. "I WILL die Neuro. It's inevitable."

Neuro eyes shoot open and a growl can be heard. "Never." He says firmly.

"Never?" She asks smiling tenderly.

Neuro once again closes his eyes. "I don't like to even imagine it, so I will make it so it will never happen."

Yako looked at him amazed. "Do you love me?" She asks quietly.

"Do I?" Neuro asks, never opening his eyes.

Yako laughs at the smug smile his face is wearing. "Come down here for a moment." She says.

Neuro hesitates for only a moment, trying to decide whether to punish her for such an order, but decided against it and did as he was told. Yako sat up.

"Can you come closer please?" She asks.

Neuro obliges her kindly because she asks so humbly. He now sits on the edge of the couch beside her. She then unexpectedly grabs his shoulder, pulling herself closer to him. So close that her mouth was rested against his ear. In the still silence of the office, whisper could be heard. When the whispering stops, Yako gently presses her lips to the corner of his mouth and kisses him. When she returns to lying down on the couch, Neuro takes a seat on the coffee table across from her.

"Of course you do," he says, calm and collected.

"Why? Because it's only natural?" Yako asks in a chuckling voice.

Neuro crosses his long legs elegantly. "Anything but natural, but it's the best option you have." He says seriously.

Yako's smile fades. "Then am I the best option you have?"

"No." Neuro answers matter of factly.

Yako begins to sit up, visibly disturbed by the statement.

"But, you are the only option I want." Neuro says standing up.

Yako stills then lies back down, and watches Neuro walk to turn the office lights back off.

"Goodnight, Yako."

"Goodnight, Neuro."

Mira Love- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like the understated romance, hopfully this chapter was a nice little addition.

Nadia42- Thank you for reading and reviewing I'm glad you are enjoying! Also thankyou so much for telling me! I'm sooo going to read!

Lunabloodmoon666- Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm happy you liked the wedding gown I was thinking of attempting drawing her in it. That and Takumi. Oh and of course, Neuro too. ^-^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	10. Chapter Ten: Snake

Disclaimer: Nope not mine…except for the murderer and the stripper.

Neuro lay on top of the ceiling waiting for Yako to make her attempt at escaping from him again. Then he spotted her, dressed in disguise. As if that would fool him. He waits for her to pass directly under him. When she does, he releases himself from the ceiling. The landing is painless for him but he knew better for her.

"Neuro! Let me go!" Yako struggles to say.

"Why would I do that? Not when it's still so dangerous," he states leisurely.

"Oh please, I've acted as bait for you before! How was that safe?" Yako yells while squirming.

Neuro stands up, yanking Yako to her feet by her arm. He says nothing more and begins dragging her up the stairs to their office.

"Nobody has seen or heard from him in a week. I need to get some things from my apartment! Let me go!" Yako fought.

Neuro tosses her to the couch and pins her down by the arms. Yako continues to struggle against him until he leans closer to her and his face is only a ways away from hers.

"Silence. Just. Stay. Put." He says inching closer to her with every word.

"Umm, am I interrupting something here?"Higuchi Yuya says, smirking at them from the doorway.

Neuro sits up only to sit directly on Yako. "I'm simply trying to keep my slave here," Neuro says, turning to face the smug computer hacker.

"Why would you do that?" Higuchi asks.

"To eat her of course; my being a demon it's only natural," Neuro says sarcastically.

Higuchi strolls into the room and sits on the couch across from the one Yako and Neuro were occupying. "Anyways, I've done what you've asked. I hacked into all local cameras, and have not spotted Imada Takumi all week," Higuchi says.

Neuro moves to sit beside Yako instead of on top. "He's recovering from the bite, and is in a safe place with food and everything he needs to survive," Neuro says, speaking his mind.

"You seem well, Neuro. Are you sure all the time you've spent on Earth is good for you?" Higuchi asks.

Yako and Neuro meet eyes for a moment, then Neuro stands up.

"What?" Higuchi asks again.

"Let's just say that's no longer an issue," Yako says shyly.

Higuchi picks up on her shyness and weariness to answer. "He's not like… draining your soul is he?" Higuchi asks in disbelief.

"No! The reason is in my apartment!" Yako says.

"Your apartment!" Neuro says loudly, shocking everybody in the room with his excited interruption.

Yako suddenly develops an expression of understanding."My food… and the portal," Yako says, looking very nervous. Imada Takumi was taking refuge in her apartment.

"You have enough food in there to last you a few years," Neuro says, heading for the door.

"Then there is your room with the portal," Yako says, grabbing her things, readying to leave.

"What's going on?" Higuchi asks, feeling left out.

"Nothing good." Yako follows Neuro out the door.

Arriving at Yako's apartment building, Neuro can instantly sense something dangerous. The three of them walk up the stairs to the top floor and stand in front of Yako's apartment door.

"Neuro… something is wrong," Yako says, her turn to pick up on the negative energy. The door opens.

"Oh, hi. How are you today? Hope you don't mind that I stayed here for a while," Takumi says, answering the door comfortably dressed, looking healthy in a dark navy blue suit and a blood-red tie. "Come, come. You don't want to catch a cold standing out there." Takumi swipes his arms in a welcoming gesture.

Yako peeks in her apartment, and witnesses something disturbing behind Takumi. A man. Stripping. In her living room.

"Ippai," Neuro says through a rumbling growl, making Higuchi back away from him. Takumi looks back at the now completely naked man.

"Really? Again?" Takumi says, looking back at Neuro. "Honestly, I've seen this guy naked more then I've seen myself."

Ippai is a really thin pale man with icy blue eyes and a round face framed with white hair. And he is very naked. Neuro and the naked man stare at each other, both eerily calm. Takumi watches with an amused smile as if he is observing chimps in a test lab; Higuchi looking to Yako for answers. Yako only shrugs. She has no idea how demons greet each other; if this exchange between the two can be called a greeting.

Ippai takes his eyes from Neuro and locks his icy gazes on Yako. Neuro shoves Yako behind himself, but before he can do anything more, Ippai launches himself in a way that seems like slithering and rips Neuro's throat out. Neuro goes down to one knee, bleeding profusely.

Neuro!" Yako screams, terrified. She is down on the floor with him, cupping her hands to the open gash in his throat, attempting to stop the bleeding; bleeding in which Neuro himself makes no effort to control. Higuchi points a gun at the now bloody naked man.

"I just wanted to see her," Ippai says, looking at Yako, now much closer than ever.

Neuro stands up abruptly and grabs Ippai's neck, a grasp that doesn't hold. Ippai slips through Neuro's clawed hands in a snaky way. Yako watches the wound close and in the corner of her eye she can see Takumi escape with Ippai. The blood on Neuro's suit disappears and in seconds Neuro looks as he always does: smug. "Are you okay Neuro?"

Neuro just smiles. "I wasn't expecting Ippai."

"Who is Ippai, exactly?" Yako asks, closing her front door while Higuchi checks and closes the windows.

"He is well known in Hell. A snake with an appetite for good fortune." Neuro says, walking into his room, Higuchi following close behind. The room is illuminated in green.

"So this is the portal…" Higuchi says, flabbergasted.

"Yes," Neuro says, smiling widely.

Authors' note: Sorry for the long wait, I've been very busy and also have had problems with the internet deciding for itself when to work and when to not. Now, more importantly Thankyou, Mira Love, Nadia42, lunabloodmoon666, KuroNeko, Namei for reading and reviewing. I'm so grateful for every review and I hope to make my next comments more personal to those who review for this chapter.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Hell

Disclaimer: I do not Own Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, just Takumi and Ippai.

Neuro says nothing while he steps into the green warp-hole in the air. One moment he is there, the next he is gone. Higuchi looks to Yako and is thrown off by her lack of response to the disappearance act.

"Yako, where did he go?" Higuchi asks.

"He'll be back in a few days." Yako says, exiting the room.

Neuro stands on the familiar burning sands of Hell as he breathes in its toxic air. He looks to his watch.

"One hour," Neuro says as he steps toward the looming castle.

On his arrival at the front door, he is greeted by hungry looking demons eying him with drooling anticipation. "Ah, I suppose human flesh is quite… mouthwatering."

The demons scatter in terrified hurry as Neuro's human flesh melts away to reveal the glory of his true form. Neuro knows Hell is angry with him, but he does not care; they can't do anything against him, they can only act in his favor, bend to his will or cower in his presence. Even now, returning to face Hell's rulers without any apprehension.

He enters the dining hall, where the more knowledgeable rulers tend to dwell. It's a boring room in his opinion, though many consider its stone walls complimented by all shades of blue and rich furniture to be the most beautiful.

"Neuro, what brings you here?" Says a demon with blazing red eyes.

"Ippai. Has come to visit." Neuro says, taking a seat on the dining table deliberately disrespecting the other demons.

"He's wanted to see your human female." Says a demon sitting opposite of Neuro.

" My human female?" Neuro questions, trying to suppress his anger at their knowledge of Yako.

"All of Hell knows of your intentions with that human, Neuro." Says a demon with a scaled face.

"Does it now? My intentions?" Neuro laughs, standing up from the table.

"This is no laughing matter Neuro! Someone of your stature mixing with a human… It's repulsive!" Another demon says smashing a hole in the table with his fists.

Neuro turns openly angry. "You all are so lacking, and it is that lacking that is repulsive." Neuro pauses, looking each demon in the eye before he angrily smashes what remains of the dining table. "Not my human female." Neuro strides out of the dining hall. "I will be sending Ippai back. Do try to keep his curiosity under control next time."

What was twenty five minutes in Hell was one whole day back on earth. Yako is not here waiting for him. Something is not right. Neuro glances out the window.

Fire. Everywhere fire and gunshots.

Where is Yako?


	12. Chapter Twelve: Chaos

Disclaimer: I Do not own Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro.

Neuro pulls out his cellphone and dials Yako's number. It's seems like it's been ringing for eternity before she finally picks up.

"It's about time Neuro!" Yako answers, yelling over gunshots among many other war sounds.

"Where are you?" Neuro asks, exiting through a nearby window.

"At the office with Godai and a couple of his… assistants." Yako answers, still yelling.

Without answering Neuro hangs up the phone and rushes over to the office. The scene in front of the office building is so hectic it could almost be comical. The building is covered in thick black hair, or more accurately "protected" by the thick black hair.

"Good job, Akane-chan." Neuro says to himself as he watches her fight off crazed criminals still in their prison uniforms. Most of which him and Yako sent to their imprisonment themselves. They are lined up for miles trying to get into the office to take a crack at revenge. All the while Godai and a group of his thugs shoot at them, trying mainly to disarm the criminals of their flamethrowers, bombs, guns, and other personal weapons. Neither of the two are getting at each other easily, not while Akane's raven glory thrashes about wildly.

Neuro gets a feeling of unease, looking up he can see that Takumi is eerily watching him safely atop the roof away from all the chaos. By Takumi's side is Ippai, watching the chaos with an almost pained expression. He wears only a loose fitting yukata. Rolling his eyes intentionally at the two of them, Neuro takes one big leap up to the office window and quickly climbs in, only taking a few bullets.

"Did I shoot you, monster?" Godai says smugly as he reloads his gun.

Neuro, with an equally smug face, happily round-kicks Godai in the face. Godai lands painfully on the hard wooden floor. Neuro stands mockingly over Godai grabbing his face with a clawed hand.

"It could have been because you were deliberately aiming for me." Neuro says with the same smile but his hidden threat does not go unnoticed. In response Godai presses his gun to Neuro's face.

"That wasn't aiming at you. THIS is aiming at you." Godai says, peeking through Neuro's fingers gripping his face. In response to Godai's "brave threat," Neuro takes a giant bite out of Godai's gun, chewing the metal effortlessly.

"Keep up the good work, Godai." Neuro says fondly, releasing Godai's face. "Ippai is bound to Takumi by a blood contract. This is how he is able to survive here." Neuro informs, suddenly all business.

"What does that mean for Takumi?" Yako asks.

"Ippai feeds on good fortune. Obviously there is none here at the moment. At this rate Takumi will drain Ippai and become a monster all his own." Neuro says, heading for the roof.

Stepping onto the roof, Neuro and Yako's eyes find Takumi immediately. Takumi knows they have arrived but makes no effort to acknowledge them, he simply continues to gaze down onto his chaos. He is dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt with a black tie. The combination goes well with the newly formed black snake scales running down the back of his neck, continuing to trail down his back, tracing his spine.

"You know, I always knew there was more to this world. I can feel it coursing through my veins." Takumi says interrupting the silence, his voice a little more raspy than usual.

Neuro continues to watch Takumi, while Yako looks to Ippai. He doesn't look well. His skin is cracking and his hair looks like frail hay. The image is frighteningly familiar to that of Neuro, the Neuro that lay dying before her very eyes a few years back.

"Takumi! Ippai is dying you need to stop this!" Yako yells franticly.

Takumi turns around, glancing briefly at Ippai's sad state. "I won't." He answers calmly, turning his startling dark eyes on Yako. His eyes were always dark, but never so empty, vacant of any light.

"Why?" Yako demands.

"Because I'm a teacher. I must teach and observe. It's my job." Takumi looks back down at the mess on the streets below.

"You're a liar!" Yako yells.

Takumi turns back around and looks at Yako, having his full attention. "A Liar?" He asks amused.

Yako nods. "Why are you really doing all of this?"

Takumi's expression turns to that of an irritated one, and he remains silent for a few moments. "I'm insane. Deranged, loony, crazy, psycho, bonkers, nuts. Pick one. Either way I am it: a complete madman. Was it not already obvious by now?" Takumi answers, baring new fangs.

"It's not obvious if it's not the truth. A madman doesn't realize he's mad, madness comes naturally." Yako says.

Takumi points a clawed finger at Yako. "THIS is what I wanted from you Yako! Why I CRAVED you! I wanted you so badly!" Takumi says in dramatic excitement. "But now all I want is you dead." Takumi says, all excitement leaving his voice, replaced only with sorrowed wistfulness.

Before his voice can finish echoing across the roof, Takumi launches himself at Yako, but is cut off by Neuro who in turn pins him to the ground with a sadistic shoe across his throat. Neuro is prepared to end all of the silliness, but is caught off guard by Takumi's inhuman shivering. The moment of shivering passes quickly and Takumi shoves Neuro's foot from his pinned throat.

"Ahhh, that's better. You're so smothering Neuro! I don't see how Yako puts up with it." Takumi says jokingly.

"You can feed on Chaos." Neuro says frowning.

"Hmmm, I suppose I do. How neat." Takumi says, smiling brightly.

Thank you to my reviewers!

Guest- I thank you for reading and am very grateful that you enjoyed it enough to review. Good luck in school, and I hope my fic can make your days better. *blows a kiss*

Nadia42- I'm so glad you are enjoying my writing and I love your review, you're excitement made me super happy. Arigatou gozaimasu! Please continue to read and review I look forward to it.

Nala- Thank you so much for your high compliment! I'm so glad for your review and i hope for you to continue to read and enjoy!


	13. Chapter Thirteen: More

Disclaimer: I do not own Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, but it's still nice to pretend I do.

Yako tries to sneak to Ippai, who lay dying on the concrete rooftop, sleeping as his flaking dead skin blows in the early evening wind.

"Get away from him!" Takumi yells as Yako gets closer to the sleeping snake demon.

Ippai stirs from his sleep at Takumi's outburst, looking to Yako in panic. Feeling newly inspired by Ippai's panicked face, Yako again starts to slowly approach Ippai. Takumi growls low in his chest, a menacing sound that makes everyone turn to look at Takumi.

"Yako, stay where you are." Neuro's warning comes too late, though.

Takumi is already stalking towards Yako with intentions of a predator. Neuro quickly steps in front of Takumi to block him from getting even one step closer to Yako. Takumi doesn't even see Neuro, all he sees is Yako and the look in his eyes is murderous. Neuro quickly grabs Takumi by the shoulders gripping tightly. Takumi only continues to walk forcing Neuro's feet to move against his will; sliding backwards against the rough rooftop pavement as Takumi steadily approaches his target. Neuro strengthens his grip on Takumi's shoulders and makes an extra effort to stand his ground. Takumi angrily takes his eyes from Yako and shifts them to Neuro.

"Let go, Demon," Takumi demands through gritted teeth.

"You first. Demon," Neuro retorts back with an amused smirk.

Using the opportunity, Yako closes the remaining distance between Ippai and her.

"Ippai! Are you alright?" Yako asks, hands hovering over all of Ippai's exposed cracks in his skin, scared to touch him but desperate to help him.

Ippai tries to smile but the effort seems to drain him of any energy he had left, and his bright blue eyes fade to a light gray, but he struggles against heavy-hooded lids to stay awake.

"I need to separate you from him," Yako says, peeking over at Takumi who is trying his best to free himself from Neuro's monstrous grip. Yako reaches for Ipaai's yukata in attempt to cover his bare shoulders and chest, but is startled by Ippai grabbing her hand and pushing it to his fragile cracking chest.

"Human." Ippai says in a barely audible whisper.

"Ippai…don't." Yako pleads in a whisper almost like his.

"New blood bond." Ippai whispers again, color returning to his eyes looking directly into Yako's brown ones.

"Blood?" Yako asks quietly looking at her hand in Ippai's weak grasp.

She thinks back to a few days ago when she and Neuro first met Ippai. He had ripped Neuro's throat out with his bare teeth.

Yako offers her hand to Ippai hesitantly. Ippai gently brings her wrist to his mouth, but pauses. He flips her hand over and kisses the top of her hand. Yako looks down at Ippai confused by his actions.

"Good fortune is coming to light." Ippai says with a knowing soft smile, then quickly turns her hand back over and bites into the palm of her hand as gently as a bite can be.

Ippai stands up shakily after finishing taking the blood from Yako. He stands silently for a moment, trying to steady himself. Takumi is no longer trying to fight Neuro, instead he watches Ippai with dissatisfaction. Ippai looks at Takumi and smirks, sticking his snake tongue out like a teasing child. Takumi frowns only slightly. Ippai tilts his head back dramatically and, shocking everyone, spits out a watered version of Yako's blood into the air, and spreads his arms out wide as it rains back down upon him. His once crisp white yukata is now a stained and bloody pink.

The whole scene was disgusting but, Ippai's transformation is almost instant. He looks a lot better, but Yako's sudden exhaustion does not go unnoticed and her world spins slightly as her head feels like its gained fifty pounds.

Despite her dizziness she tries to stand, quickly falling back to her knees feeling like her body is being forced to the ground by an unseen force. Neuro picks her up and sits her up against a wall.

"What have you done Yako?" Panic and definite anger in his voice.

Takumi is now the one cracking and flaking, his demon features fleeting in the wind. The air is heavy with demonic energy; a battle for which body to reside in, but the look on Takumi's face is accepting and knowing. He's lost the battle. His human features have returned he looks only a little worn out, but he still collapses to the ground, body too tired and heavy to stand any longer.

Yako's own heavy dizziness disappears and she looks to see why. Ippai stands over Takumi, biting into his arm. With his strength returned, Ippai has no reason to fear a take over from Takumi again. So he's restored their blood bond. Ippai wipes the blood from Takumi's arm and gently brushes Takumi's hair from his face and lays him down onto the ground.

Yako watches the exchange between the two and is grateful for the gentle demon's returned health. Yako has to quickly look away from Ippai though. Ippai strips the flimsy blood-stained yukata off, freeing himself of all clothing. Yako looks at Neuro instead finding the fully dressed demon more comforting then the completely naked one. Neuro pays no attention to her, though. He watches Takumi readily, with only a protective hand on Yako's back, a hand Yako hadn't noticed until now.

"Hahaha!" Takumi's sudden laughter echoes throughout the silent rooftop. "You are right, Yako. I am a liar," Takumi says, reaching a hand to the sky and pretends to grab a handful of clouds. "I hoped to ruin this world for myself, so that I could possibly gain another." Takumi drops his reaching hand harshly back onto the ground.

"You purposely ruined your life?" Yako asks.

"If 'ruined' is the way you want to see it." Takumi says chuckling.

Yako remains silent in thought for a moment. "It's an outrageous way of achieving more." Yako says quietly.

"I suppose it is." Takumi says blissfully. "Perhaps it's insanity?" Takumi continues, laughing to himself.

Everyone is silent, all that can be heard is the battle going down on the streets in front of the office, echoing through the abandoned streets. Sitting up suddenly, Takumi turns to look at Neuro.

"Okay bird, do whatever you do." Takumi says smugly, only a small trace of fear on his face. Neuro takes his hand from Yako's back and stands quickly.

"Gladly," Neuro says, taking wide stride toward Takumi.

The two look at each other admiringly, only for a quick moment. "Ittadakimasu."

The moment is lost to everyone in a purple haze of uncertainty, everyone except for Neuro and Takumi.

No matter how many times she sees it, his feeding on a puzzle always remains a mystery on exactly what goes on between the demon and his meal ticket. As soon as it starts, it's finished just as quickly.

"Gochisosama" Neuro says contently and proud.

Takumi lays asleep with a content smile. Everything is as it should be: Neuro is full and happy, Ippai will return to Hell, the rioters down below will return to their cells, joined by Takumi.

Ippai in his naked bliss approaches Takumi's sleeping, unaware form and bends down over his head, picking Takumi up under his arm pits. Thankfully Ippai's back is turned to Yako and Neuro because the sight of Ippai swallowing Takumi whole is horrifying enough from the back. Yako can't begin to imagine a view from the front. Neuro just watches the scene with minor distaste.

Ippai turns to Neuro, looking bloated. "The others are ignorant Neuro. She is a fine human, I approve." Ippai points to Yako like a child. In response Neuro smiles fondly at Ippai. Words are wasted on Yako at the moment. She is too shocked , and can only watch as Ippai slithers away at top speed to return to Hell... with a swallowed Takumi.

"Neuro! Go after him! He ate Takumi!" Yako shrieks.

"Shut up fool. Ippai is giving Takumi-kun what he doesn't deserve." Neuro says, heading for the door to return to the office.

"A snake demon's dinner?" Yako shrieks again.

"He's giving him 'more'." Neuro says calmly.

"Hell. He's taking him to Hell?" Yako asks less panicked, knowing all to well it's exactly what Takumi would have wanted.

"Ippai is far too kind for his own good." Neuro says, walking down the stairs in no hurry.

Yako remains quiet then stops on the stairs. "He's more evolved then you, Neuro," Yako says feeling brave. Neuro stops, turns and looks up at Yako who is six steps above him.

Despite her insulting comment, he can't help but admire her. Standing above him majestically; studying him, testing him, worthy of him. He closes the gap between them, and watches her watch him. He kisses her harshly on the lips, gripping a handful of her hair in his hands. Yako surrenders to him and his passionate kiss; a kiss that ends way too soon in her opinion. Neuro releases her just as harsh as he did when he started.

"I have evolved admit it," Neuro says, looking down at her, observing his handiwork.

"I couldn't tell, show me again," Yako says with heavily flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

"Only when you are deserving," Neuro says, once again heading down the stairs to the office.

"I am very deserving." Yako laughs, rushing after him with a new found goal in mind.

That's it for this story Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I drew a few pictures if you'd like to see. I put them on my deviant art account, I tried posting direct links but it didnt work. NennyNen is my user name, NennyNen on deviantart. Please take a look i drew Takumi and ippai and Neuro and Yako.

Nadia42- Thank you for reading, and I'll defiantly read anything you write, so don't be afraid to publish anything. ^-^ This is my first story ever too.

lunabloodmoon666- I'm glad you enjoyed it I hope you don't think I ended it too soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Little-bad-Angel- Thank you for loving my story, and I hope you've enjoyed my story.

Yubelchen- I'm glad you have enjoyed my story I hope it ended well for you.

Gintarox- Thank you for reading and reviewing, Loving you with my heart guts, it's actually quite pleasant. So happy you are enjoying my story and my brave Yako. Yeah my writing in the first few chapters isn't so good, . but this is my first thing i've written so it's all very new but I'm trying to improve as much as I can every chapter. About the demon emperor I have no Idea, some stories he is and some stories he isn't.

Indiahenna- Thank you for your honest input, this is the first thing I've ever written, sadly that seems to be evident in the first few chapters and my lack of detail, but I'm going to try to work on that now so thank you, and I hoped you enjoyed the last chapter.


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